Hey? What’s That Smell?
South Dakota’s favourite band of anti-choicers are showing their Communist stripes. They’ve managed (not that getting the Ill-informed to agree to The Stupid is difficult) to acquire 500,000 signatures for a totalitarian bill that essentially would reduce pregnant women to wards of the state. And ban most forms of birth control. Details of this latest bit of Pea-nuttiest, from the “what about the bay-bees” crowd here.
What is especially delightful about that blog posting is the astute comparison to Communism. Innit funny how Conservatives love to bray about the evils of the Gov’ment and how freedom is all about keeping the Gov’ment out of the business of…business and private citizens? That is unless, you are a woman, or unless the Gov’ment is protecting you from terrorists. At which point it’s perfectly acceptable to butt into the business of private citizens.
But enact a law that protects the environment (and by default private citizens, cuz clean air and water is nice), oh, boy, and let the bleating begin. Out comes the anecdotal story of cousin Bob, who was prevented from putting a pool in his backyard because some stupid law declared his yard a wetland. “The gov’ment,” whines Bubba, “is keeping private citizens from doing whatever they want on their own land.”
Alternately, there’s my favorite for Stupid. The high gas prices are the fault of the environmentalists who oppose destroying some of our last pristine wild lands in Alaska. (This despite the fact that studies have shown there really isn’t enough oil up there to provide more than a few years of fuel for Security Mom’s SUV. And all oil is a finite resource, so the intelligent approach would be to move to renewable fuel sources. But who needs logic when your are a conservative?)
If you really wanna have some fun with a anti-choicer, ask one this question:
“So, if abortion is murder, then how much time should a women who’s had an abortion serve?”
“Uh. What?”
“Murder should mean jail time, right? How much?”
The question will yield one of two responses, prevarication–”Uh, what, huh?”– or some kind of time frame–”Five years.”
The second answer, usually rare, at least displays a refreshing consistency (not to mention the obvious ass-hole-ness.) If you think abortion is murder, then women who have abortions should go to jail. Que no?
As for the rest, who hem and haw–”I, er, I mean, it’s the doctors who should go to jail. Don’t punish the women, I mean,…uh.”–you’re buying into the usual sexist notion that the little womin is too simple-minded to make important decisions about her body. She must be protected.
And protected is a pretty word for control. I am protective of my little dog Gheri. Which means, I control where she goes, what she eats, etc. Gheri, being a dog, and not vested with any unalienable rights, nor much concern for said rights, goes along rather cheerfully with the business.
Women, being human beings and fully vested with personhood (the latter not a characteristic of fetuses), aren’t cute little dogs who should live their lives in sheltered, cosseted care. Pregnancy doesn’t divest a woman of her rights, or demote her to “pet” status.
Keep in mind that this kind of totalitarian thinking has implications for pregnant women who want to be pregnant. How is giving the state authority over your pregnancy and the medical choices you make to keep yourself and your baby healthy, ever a good idea?
If all pregnant women are wards of the state, then does that mean they get prenatal care from the state, gratis? Heh. One can imagine the furor that would erupt from most conservatives when told their tax dollars would cover prenatal care for all pregnant women, regardless of income status. Most gnash their teeth now, at the thought of “all those welfare types” who get coverage under Medicade and similar programs.
“Grrr. All those slutty, poor women, fucking and having babies on my dime. Why there aughta be a law…”
Hmmm. What kind of law, Bubba? One that forces some pregnant women (low income) to have abortions? Or maybe forced sterilization for anyone deemed (by the state) unsuitable to breed? Sniff, sniff. What’s that smell?
Ah, I love the smell of Communism in the morning.
